 "ALCEU NATALI'S CLASSIC ALBUMS: GOD LOVES WITCH'S MUSIC " | 2009-01-21 |
| - Reviewed By onedinsalinstein |
For my definition of 'classic' albums please refer to my review of 'Heaven Or Las Vegas' by the Cocteau Twins.
I am not ashamed to say that until the early 90's I knew nothing about Kate but her hit single Wuthering Heights that would be included in most anthologies of female's artists. Neither am I ashamed to say I do not know why I suddenly became interested in Kate's discography. At that time I did not have yet a computer to make researches at internet and for that matter I do not remember whether there was any type of music research at internet in those days. But I was the first guy in the neighborhood to buy the now obsolete Laser Disc Player and a small collection of big and hard silver LPs. It was in a trip to Miami that I found the LD The Whole Story. A perfect collection of some of Kate's best songs and video clips. Who would have the guts to skip any of those tracks?
1. Wuthering Heights
2. Cloudbusting
3. The Man with the Child in His Eyes
4. Breathing
5. Wow
6. Hounds of Love
7. Running Up That Hill
8. Army Dreamers
9. Sat in Your Lap
10. Experiment IV
11. The Dreaming
12. Babooshka
Mine still had the bonus 13. The Big Sky! And who would be so crazy as to not have Kate's complete collection of albums after getting to know a little bit of her whole story? I had been but not too long. And on a very sunshiny and happy day, at the dawn of my spirituality, before the brotherhood of fraternity gathered for the Tuesday's lunch, I dropped by that galleria where a used vinyl of Hounds of Love was on sale for not a too Philadelphian price. But that one was meant to be mine: original black vinyl and sleeve.
1. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
I did make a deal with God then but I never honored my part of that deal and when I listen to this song I always see myself running up that hill in all my lifetime and reaching out for God only to find that his patience is never-ending and he usually gives us much more than a second chance.
2. Hounds Of Love
A song of eerie pleasure, hope and elegancy. It contains all the grace of Cynder Lauper's only two good songs, Time After Time and True Colors.
3. The Big Sky
The sky is not big enough for this great song. Heaven is neither. Therefore God's voice shouted it down and made it a down to earth track with many nations' flags, including the Brazilian one, after all, as people here in the 5th of all Hells say, God is Brazilian!
4. Mother Stands For Comfort
Every great album must have a sad song, a somewhat sad and weird track, like an Eleanor Rigby, like a Day In The Life.
5. Cloudbusting
This sounds like Adam and Eve after breaking the deal with God, and trying to reconciliate with him by making something for both God and Man alike. The drumming and chanting at the last part is Human at his/her best and that is why God loves music.
6. And Dream Of Sheep
A beautiful ballad that works like a demo dreaming of being Hello Earth.
7. Under Ice
A haunting bridge to the more weird songs that will follow.
8. Waking The Witch.
You may want to skip this track and make this album less than a classic but this is a Number 9. Would you ever take Number 9 off The White Album?
9. Watching You Without Me
Charmful, spell casting, really witching, rhythmic and mesmerizing. It is the work of a witch. It is a woman's work and it is the prototype of The Sensual World.
10. Jig Of Life
A mixture of scary and Celtic sound. Unpaired!
11. Hello Earth
A duet by God and Human with God letting Human sing all the way and making sure she will not sing out of tune. And angels add dark chants to give the song a god-like nuance. Fantastic.
12. The Morning Fog
Tuesday lunch is over and I am already missing it but Kate sings joyfully and I find enough strength to go through the rest of the week.
I do not have the extra tracks therefore I cannot make any comment about them. I am sure God will give me another chance to cover them.
By the way, do you remember I told you that a guy I met laughed at me when I told him I was very fond of the Cocteau Twins? Well, when Aerial was launched here in Brazil, a journalist writing for a famous newspaper in my city, made a very bad review of this last Kate's album, and reduced her to that boring girl with a boring child-like voice that made her a one hit wonder with Wuthering Heights. That's all he knows. Well, he is right when he says that Aerial is poor but that is Kate's hell. He's never been to Kate's heavenly days and most certainly he never listened to this masterpiece or Kate's other great albums.
As I said, I never honored my part in my deal with God and I hope someday I will and meantime this album has given me more than spirituality. It has given me something far beyond spirituality and which eventually led me to write Berry Tree Valley which should be printed not longer than a couple of years or so from today.
Thank you for all the dreams, Kate!
Alceu Natali, January 20th, 2009
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| "!!" | 2008-11-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: A4Q6VJRHMIDF0 |
| running up that hill, hounds of love, and dream of sheep are all classics, but the whole album just gets better and better with each listen. |
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| "The hounds are calling..." | 2008-07-11 |
| - Reviewed By jeremygloff |
| Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1CJFT9G4X91PG My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!! |
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| "Simply one of the best albums of the 1980s" | 2007-12-19 |
| - Reviewed By jrd5441 |
"Hounds of Love" is simply one of the best albums of the 1980s.
After having spent time with members of Pink Floyd (she was "discovered" by David Gilmour and sang backing vocals on "The Wall") and with Peter Gabriel (backing vocals on his 3rd album), Kate Bush came into maturity with "Hounds of Love." In fact, many have made comparisons with this album and both Pink Floyd and Gabriel.
The album was well received and rightly so -- eventually knocking Madonna's "Like a Virgin" off the top of the UK charts. The songs are well produced, intelligently written and contains songs that resonate well with both "pop" and "progressive rock" fans. The first half, entitled "The Hounds of Love", offers songs about love that any of which could have made a worthy single. The album's second half, "The Ninth Wave", is an eerie collection of songs that loosely tells a story of a woman lost at sea and in danger of drowning.
In the original lineup of songs, there are no poor moments. Recent re-releases include extra tracks that, while good, are not of the same outstanding caliper as the original offerings. Still, these extra tracks should not discourage anyone from giving this a listen or two or three... |
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| "A Masterpiece from the Vinyl Era" | 2007-10-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: AFBKGZS9BZAW3 |
| This has been one of my favorite albums for over 20 years, and it still never fails to impress. I think to really enjoy this one has to undestand some of the subtleties of this work. Hounds of Love is actually 2 albums, with 2 covers. Owning the original vinyl record helps, you can see the front cover of hounds of love with Kate in the pink dress. Listed there are the songs that make up Hounds of Love "Running up that Hill" to "Cloudbursting". On the flip side you can see the other "Cover" to the other work, The Ninth Wave. The Ninth Wave goes from "And Dream of Sheep" to "The Morning Fog". Where Hounds of Love is very melodic and produced the very popular "Running up That Hill" it is overshadowed by the brilliance of The Ninth Wave. The second side is the story of a young happy girl who falls though the ice while skating. She is declared dead, only to revive once she warms up. This gets her accused of being a witch. She is tried, and banished from the village, where she meets a old hag who was also banished years ago. She takes her in, saves her and she finds her place in the world. The entire side tells the story. The production of these songs is fantastic, some of the best I have ever heard. Kate's first works were produced by David Gilmor and then Andrew Powell. Kate began producing her own work with 'The Dreaming" and amazed us all with her work on this piece. This is the type of work that begs to be listened to on headphones. The layers of the music are so complex. It's like a movie in which each time you watch you notice something new. For anybody who like "Alternative" music, listen to one of the artists that invented the genre 30 years ago, you wont be disappointed. |
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| "You Need This Album" | 2007-01-20 |
| - Reviewed By nyavasile@hotmail.com |
| This album is the definitive Kate Bush album. If you are new to her and are curious, this is the album for you. She was Tori Amos before anyone had even heard of Tori Amos. |
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